


"Like his Pencil."

by CriminallySickfics (CallmeG)



Series: When the Chips are Down [1]
Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Bets were made, Emily and Aaron have been shagging for a while, F/M, Gen, Graphic description (attempt) of vomiting, Sick Aaron Hotchner, Sick Hotch, Sickfic, Vomiting, emeto
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-28
Updated: 2020-03-28
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:00:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23359651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CallmeG/pseuds/CriminallySickfics
Summary: When Hotch becomes sick at work, who steps up to the plate to care for him?Of course, Emily does. Emily, who may or may not have been sleeping with him for the last year. Let's not tell anyone about that one.(sorry, you two, everyone already knows)
Relationships: Aaron Hotchner & David Rossi, Aaron Hotchner & Derek Morgan, Aaron Hotchner & Jennifer "JJ" Jareau, Aaron Hotchner & Spencer Reid, Aaron Hotchner/Emily Prentiss, Penelope Garcia & Aaron Hotchner
Series: When the Chips are Down [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1680142
Comments: 6
Kudos: 77





	"Like his Pencil."

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone!  
> My name is G and CriminallySickfics is my second pseud on AO3! I'm 18 and multifandom. Literally just about any cop show, crime show, I have watched and loved at some point. Right now I'm obsessed with Criminal Minds and Chicago PD, but my obsessions change like the wind. My two favourite characters are Hotch and Spencer, to everyone's shock.
> 
> Make sure you comment if you find the part where the title is from! This is something I do with a lot of my fics, since I hate thinking up titles and quite often what happens in the story kind of dictates the title anyway (as it should)

“Should someone go and check on him? That sounds… painful.”

The sound of gagging erupted from the men’s bathroom Aaron “Hotch” Hotchner and Dave Rossi shared between their offices and everyone grimaced, Jennifer “JJ” Jareau included despite being a mother of a three year old son who was known for his explosive vomiting. JJ glanced toward the direction of the vomiting, frowning in sympathy. Hotch being sick was rare and no one really knew what to do when it happened.

Derek Morgan’s dark eyebrows were furrowed in concern toward the unit chief currently vomiting violently in the men’s room. Spencer Reid lifted his head from where he’d been scribbling notes down, nodding in agreement at Derek’s suggestion that someone should check on their boss. Rossi shook his head.

“I’m out; he wasn’t having a bar of it when I tried.”

“Let me.”

Emily Prentiss stood from where she’d been sitting in the communal meeting room, grabbing the roll of paper towel JJ handed her.

“Just in case,” the blonde warned. Prentiss nodded, and bravely headed for the bathroom.

“Hotch, it’s Emily. Can I come in?”

“Can’t you all just fuck off?”

Emily was slightly taken aback by her boss’ comment; Hotch was known for being stoic and even tempered. He rarely swore if at all. Maybe that was what made him good at his job.

“Sorry, no. You see, the problem with family is that even when you want us to just _fuck off_ , we won’t because we know you.”

Letting the door close behind her Emily approached the stall she knew Hotch was in carefully, rapping her knuckles on the divider before crouching down beside him. The tall, built man seemed small against the toilet. Pressing the back of her hand to his forehead Emily frowned, reaching for the jacket he was wearing.

“C’mon, off with that.”

“I’m a grown man, Prentiss, you can’t just-“

“-too bad. Now.”

A little tough love was clearly in order as Hotch finally let her take his suit jacket. Hanging it on a hook on the door Emily knelt beside him again.

“Do you think you’re going to… y’know… again?”

“Well shit, probably. It’s only been a couple hours since I started.”

Hotch was known for being direct, with very little sarcasm in his vocabulary. The second he sassed Prentiss she raised an eyebrow. She knew just the person for Hotch.

“Let me go get Reid.”

“Reid! C’mere.”

Spencer glanced up from his paperwork, confusion in his eyes when Emily called him from the bathroom. JJ and Derek snorted while Rossi smiled to himself. The youngest BAU team member got up, ambling over to the dark haired woman. She handed him a thermometer and a bottle of Pepto, giving him a grin he knew meant she was up to something.

“Get Hotch back to his office; see if he’ll lie down. He needs time out.”

Then she went back to her desk, collapsing into her chair in giggles. Immediately JJ, Derek and the tech analyst, Penelope Garcia, were pouncing on her for the story behind her giggles. Rossi rolled his eyes at his team, burying his head back in his paperwork.

“Hotch? It’s just me. Everyone else is busy laughing at my expense.”

When Spencer didn’t get a reaction to his call he headed for Hotch’s stall. To his surprise, his unit chief was curled up toward the back of the stall with his head resting on the toilet. Glancing up he groaned, closing his eyes.

“Reid, truly, I’m not interested in anything you’re going to try and make me do.”

“Well… we’re willing to let you keep working if that helps at all.”

“You’re lying.”

“Just when I was worried you were too sick to profile,” Spencer teased in a way Hotch recognised Morgan would. Easing himself down on to the floor beside Hotch he tossed the damp paper towel Rossi had given him away, offering the thermometer to his boss.

“Don’t make me do the airplane thing we both know you do to Jack.”

“Who told you that?” Hotch demanded. Despite his suspicion he took it from Spencer and put it in his mouth. Reid just grinned, shrugging innocently.

“Just a guess, sir. You- you, uh, you do a lot for Jack that people don’t know about.”

The thermometer beeped and the younger agent took it from his boss, barely glancing at the numbers before he reached for the bottle of pepto.

“Okay, take some of this. It’ll help if you can keep it down, then you can drink some water and things should settle.”

Hotch couldn’t defy the puppy-eyed agent sitting beside him and he begrudgingly took the medicine. Swallowing it down a gag threatened to erupt again but Spencer shook his head.

“C’mon Aaron, you gotta keep it down.”

The man’s face was reddening with intense determination to keep the medication in his body, but when bile rose up his throat he threw himself over the toilet again. A string of spit hung from his lips and he felt Spencer place a hand on his back. For being a) an only child, and b) the youngest in the unit, Reid was surprisingly good at caring for others. When Aaron felt his stomach begin to relent again Spencer handed him a new piece of damp paper towel, staying quiet while Hotch wiped his mouth and tried to calm down.

It was safe to say vomiting was not his favourite thing to do; it worked him up, it was uncomfortable and gross and it stopped him from spending time with those he loved. Resting his head against the stall divider Aaron groaned.

“Give me a second,” he murmured. Spencer shrugged, apparently uninterested in leaving.

“You’re gonna need a little more than a second, but sure. Put your head between your knees if you still feel like you’re gonna puke.”

“How do you know all of this?” Aaron questioned, but his head dipped between his legs as the nausea spiked suddenly. Spencer smiled to himself, taking the paper towel and tossing it into the toilet for his boss.

“Benefits of growing up with an unwell parent.”

Aaron sighed, reaching out to hold Spencer’s wrist.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t-“

“- it’s fine. It’s a way of life for some people. I was… I _am…_ one of them.”

“No, not about that… I didn’t mean to have it come out as an interrogative question.”

Spencer _laughed_ as he reached for the pepto again.

“It’s okay; I know what you meant.”

Aaron was quiet, hands going to grasp the back of his neck.

“I haven’t felt this sick in a really, really long time. It’s almost foreign.”

“I know. Let the nausea subside and then we’re gonna go to your office. When you’re ready, though; don’t try and rush.”

To Spencer’s surprise Hotch followed his directions. When his breathing became a little more even and he could look Spencer in the eyes without wanting to vomit everywhere he nodded at the younger agent.

“Do… do you think you could…?”

“What?” Spencer asked. Hotch _blushed_ , before he shook his head.

“Never mind. I’ll…”

“Here. Let me help.”

Spencer stood, helping his boss to get off the floor. Their bones ached from the cold tiles and Spencer stretched out his previously injured knee to wake the muscles. Hotch stumbled to the sink and rinsed his mouth out a couple of times before reaching for his suit jacket Emily had hung up on the back of the stall door. Spencer grabbed it before he could, helping Aaron slip it to hang off his shoulders. The younger agent helped Aaron toward the bathroom door. He paused at the exit, picking up the plastic bin that for some reason was freakishly empty but still had a liner in it. Hotch leaned against the wall to catch his breath and Spencer hauled him up, hoisting an arm around his shoulders.

Together they managed to make it to Hotch’s office where someone had dropped off some necessities; bin liners, tissues, pepto, and a huge bottle of water on top of a pink fuzzy blanket Spencer and Aaron knew could only belong to Penelope.

“Garcia,” Reid chuckled. Getting to the couch on one side of the office Spencer let Hotch sit, reaching for the water and new bottle of pepto considering the other one could have been slightly out of date. Spencer put the thermometer on the table beside the other items before reaching for the blanket.

“Reid, forget it,” Hotch warned when Spencer went to wrap it around him. The genius ignored him, reaching to complete the task when Hotch stopped him.

“Bottom drawer in my desk,” he told the younger man. Spencer obeyed, heading for the desk. He uncovered a soft grey blanket and quickly returned to toss it over his now shivering boss. Aaron pulled it around his shoulders, frowning at the younger man.

Spencer quickly set up the couch with Hotch’s laptop on the table in front of him. He handed Hotch his phone before standing.

“Try and get some rest, we’ll call if we need anything. Morgan or Rossi can step in if necessary.”

With no will left to fight, Aaron curled up on the couch, head on the pillow, and easily fell asleep.

“How did you go?”

“Did he finally lie down?”

“How come you’re not bruised or bleeding?”

Reid was met with Rossi, Morgan and Prentiss’ questions the second he left Hotch’s office. As he softly closed the door behind himself he sighed, checking in through the blinds before turning to his team.

“He should be okay. He fell asleep pretty much right away, with not a lot of fight. I’d say puking his previous meals up really wore him out.”

“Oh, thank god,” Prentiss breathed. Her eyes darkened in sympathy.

“Poor Hotch.”

“Yeah. C’mon; let’s get back to it.”

Morgan reached out to gently guide his colleagues back toward the bullpen and they headed for their desks. JJ and Garcia appeared from their offices and made a beeline for Rossi. Garcia began to question him frantically about their unwell boss, while JJ made sure Reid was okay. It was very unlike him to willingly step up and care for someone. When he shrugged it off JJ ruffled his hair, sitting on his desk and falling into conversation about a potential case. Despite the refocus on their work everyone knew their main priority was making sure Hotch was okay. Their eyes kept glancing toward the office where he was sleeping and in the end Morgan held a hand up to stop their distracted attempts to add to the conversation about the case.

“Okay, here’s what we’re going to do. We’re all going to sit down, at our desks, and I’m going to pass the case on to another team. We can’t give everything these people deserve if we’re distracted. The rest of today is a paperwork day, got it?”

“Yes, Morgan,” everyone murmured. Everyone sat at their desks and JJ went back to her office, but Penelope stayed to talk to Reid.

“Hey, Spencer?”

“Yeah?”

Spencer had already whipped through two files since Morgan had walked away, and he didn’t stop when she called to him.

“Is Hotch… is he really sick?”

“He’s not well. He’s, um, gonna need a lot of sleep.”

“Should someone- should someone, y’know, stick with him?”

“I don’t know.”

Spencer threw out the pen he’d been using, stopping briefly to grab another one. Deciding the conversation was over, Penelope began to build a plan.

“Hey Jayje?”

“Hmm?”

JJ looked up from her computer screen, rubbing her temples as she smiled at Garcia.

“Do you have your heat bag here, or a hot water bottle?”

“I do, I think… you okay?”

“Oh, yeah, just y’know. That time of the month.”

“I hear you on that. Here.”

JJ produced her heat bag from a cupboard at her feet, handing it to her friend.

“Give it a couple minutes in the microwave.”

“Great, thanks.”

Penelope disappeared before JJ could ask any further questions, which only brought more to her mind.

_What was Penelope doing?_

“Hey, Chocolate Thunder.”

“Hey babygirl. What’s up?”

“I just wanted to ask if you had that ibuprofen in your desk still.”

“Always do. Here.”

He opened the drawer in the side of his desk and began to rummage through, pausing as he frowned.

“What do you need ibuprofen for?”

“I have a headache.”

Apparently content with that answer (or so thrown off by Hotch being sick he let it slide) he passed the box over, followed by an unopened bottle of water.

“Here babycakes. Try and have a nap or somethin’ okay? You and Hotch both deserve some time out.”

Waving at Morgan on the way out, Garcia made a beeline for her next stop. It was time to put her plan into action. With the heat bag warmed and two tiny pills in her palm, Penelope was on a mission.

The mission?

Help the Hotch-Rocket get firing again.

“Aaron? It’s me. I need you to sit up for a second.”

Squinting against the bright pink of Penelope’s dress, Aaron opened his eyes just enough to register it was indeed his tech analyst standing beside him. She had a bottle of water and pills in one hand and in the other…

“Garcia no.”

“Garcia _yes_.”

Lifting the blanket up to access Aaron’s undershirt she carefully lay the heat bag on his stomach, feeling for a fever before she knelt at his head.

“You’ve got a little fever, Aaron, but it’s nothing to be worried about. Take these and go back to sleep, okay?”

“Wh-what’s-“

“-it’s just ibuprofen. Derek had some. The heat bag should help with the cramps. Do you need anything else?”

Pause. Swallow. Survey the room.

“That trash can.”

Scrambling frantically Aaron pulled himself to sit up as Penelope grabbed the basket Spencer had left behind, thrusting it under his chin just as his entire body leapt forward with a retch that left him panting. The hand holding the trash can shoved it into Aaron’s chest and Penelope darted to the door. Mind rushing, heart racing, stomach twisting, he didn’t register Emily’s appearance until her perfume filled his nose and he instinctively leant toward her. She placed a hand flat on his back and began to rub, encouraging him to let himself be sick. The room fell quiet as Garcia exited, the only sound being Aaron’s deep breaths and the gags that escaped when he couldn’t hold them back anymore. Bile rose in his throat and he winced. Emily sighed quietly, reaching up to brush a hand through his dark cropped hair. The noise Aaron made when he finally let himself vomit made her own stomach turn and she sucked a breath in through her nose before focusing back on her boss/lover/whateverthefucktheyarenow. It was getting kind of ridiculous at this point.

Aaron grasped at the bin and sicked up a little water, shortly followed by the last of the previous night’s dinner. Emily grimaced but kept up with her comforting, clucking her tongue and running her hand through his hair.

“It’s just the virus running it’s course. You’re gonna feel awful for another day at least before you can even think about ice cream with Jack.”

“It’s gonna be at least a week before he can think of sex too, Prentiss.”

“Dammit, Reid!”

Both Hotch and Prentiss jumped about six feet in the air separately. Aaron immediately tried to act as though nothing was wrong and Emily retracted from where she had protectively curled around the older man. Reid was standing at the door, a plastic bag in his hand and he sent them a cheeky grin that was familiar; something Morgan might have given them. Setting the bag on the floor he raised his hands in surrender and slipped out the door.

“Why does everyone think our relationship is purely sexual?” Aaron growled. Handing him a baby wipe, Emily fixed him with a look.

“It started as purely sexual; you got a warm body to sleep with and I got my high. Don’t even try that with me, Aaron.”

She took the soiled trash bag out and tied it, leaving it in a nearby corner far enough away they couldn’t smell it. Aaron reached for the bottle of water and took a sip before he reached over and squeezed Emily’s wrist.

“Thanks.”

“Hey. I’m here to prove a point, okay?”

The playful teasing tone in her voice made Aaron weakly smile and she took the wipe from him, finishing up before pressing a kiss to his forehead.

“Feel a little lighter?”

“Sure.”

Sometimes Aaron’s sense of humour was so dry Emily couldn’t tell if he was joking or not; when he groaned she knew he wasn’t feeling super hot.

“Okay, lie down. Let’s see if you can get some more sleep.”

Aaron followed her direction, flopping down on to his pillow. Tucking the blanket back over him, Emily took his hand and kissed his knuckles.

“I’m just outside. All you gotta do is call or text, okay? Don’t make me have to check on you every hour.”

“How’s Hotch?”

“Are you two _seriously_ banging?”

The questions that came from Garcia and Morgan were polar opposite and Prentiss couldn’t help it as she cracked a smile before nudging Reid out of the way to grab the hand sanitiser out of her desk drawer.

“He’s not doing great but as always the stubbornness of Aaron Hotchner has gotten the best of him.”

Then she zeroed in on Morgan.

“And yes; we’re banging. Have been for a while, you’re all too busy wrapped up in work to notice.”

JJ grinned and Reid huffed, slipping her fifty dollars from his wallet. Morgan and Garcia watched with wide eyes, jaws practically on the floor.

“You bet against Reid… and won? Oh god, and Hotch is sick. Maybe it really is a blue moon.”

Penelope rushed away in her heels with her mug of coffee, leaving the rest of the team as they laughed. Reaching for the hand sanitiser too, Spencer stood from his spot on the edge of Emily’s desk.

“Does anyone have paperwork?” He asked and was handed most of Emily’s pile as well as some of Derek’s. Rossi rolled his eyes, ruffling Spencer’s hair.

“Don’t ever change, kid.”

The fever dreams left Aaron’s sleep restless and disturbed. The couch could barely fit him, let alone his nightmares that left him shaking and gasping for air. Huddling under his blanket Aaron squeezed his eyes shut and rolled over to face the back of the couch. Maybe if he didn’t face the rest of his office, he wouldn’t feel guilty about being unable to work. The door opened and someone snuck in. The lack of heels hitting the carpet told him it wasn’t Garcia; most likely Emily or JJ, or maybe even Dave-

“-shit, Aaron.”

Emily’s voice was relaxing to him and he felt the tension leave his body when her hand came to cup his forehead. She clicked her tongue, sitting on the edge of the couch in the only spot he didn’t occupy.

“Aaron, your fever’s really, really high. I think we should get you home, okay? You can have a shower and your bed is definitely more comfortable than this damn couch.”

“Jack-“

“-Dave called Jessica. She said she’s happy to have him until you start feeling a little better. It’s probably a 48 hour bug sort of thing, so hopefully it won’t be too bad.”

Aaron rolled over and, to Emily’s surprise, buried his head into her side as he grasped her jacket.

“Okay. Okay, take me home.”

“Wait here.”

Emily kissed his knuckles and got up, covering him with the blanket before leaving the room. Hotch pulled it up to his shoulders in attempt to stop the feverish shaking, knowing his shirt was damp with sweat despite the intense rush of cold he was feeling everywhere all over his body. Outside he heard the team attempting- and failing- to whisper to each other about him. He heard Emily volunteering to take him home, shortly followed by a crass joke Morgan would only make if he thought Hotch couldn’t hear it. He heard JJ give Morgan a solid whack on the arm, accompanied by one of Spencer’s rare snorts. When the door creaked open he pretended to be asleep. Someone knelt by his head and when he heard them whistle lowly he realised it was Dave. Dave, his best friend.

“Dave?”

“Aaron, Em’s gonna take you home okay? Don’t even try and come in until you can stomach the milkiest coffee you have ever made.”

“I know Dave.”

Rossi pressed a paternal kiss to Aaron’s temple, heaving himself up.

“That never gets easier,” he muttered which earned a tiny smile from the younger man. Closing the door softly behind him, Rossi left Aaron in the darkness.

“Aaron it’s me. Where’s your go bag?”

Aaron pointed at the cupboard and Emily opened it to grab the duffel, followed by a bucket that had been left there the one time Aaron had had to take Jack with him to work because he couldn’t find anyone willing to babysit the sick child. Aaron sat up, reaching for the warm pullover Emily had just taken out of his bag. She helped him get it on, brushing a hand through his hair.

“You must be pretty sick if you’re not resisting my help,” she murmured. Using Emily to brace himself, Aaron managed to stand from the couch on his own wobbly legs. He must have looked amusing because Emily sucked in a giggle, biting her lip as she gathered everything she needed. Wrapping an arm around his waist while his went across her shoulders, she helped him take an unsteady step, followed by another. He winced, grasping at his stomach when a cramp rippled through. Emily looked up at him; her boss, the stoic bastard, Aaron Hotchner, and just smiled.

“We can go at your speed. Just let me know if you think you’re gonna puke, okay?”

“Deal.”

Relying on her, Aaron made his way to the door. Emily could barely believe he let her in like this. Part of her wanted to take him straight to the emergency room; the other half knew he just needed some TLC… maybe some more Pepto. Stumbling through the bullpen she was surprised when Derek appeared and hefted Hotch’s other arm over his shoulders.

“C’mon man, let’s get you home.”

Sending him a thankful smile Emily practically dragged Aaron toward the lift that would take them to the carpark. Spencer pressed the button for them while Penelope was having a mini-freakout at how relaxed Hotch was about needing help. He was vulnerable for once, something that happened once in a blue moon, and Penelope clasped on to Reid’s arm as she turned to him.

“How did JJ get that and not you?” She gasped. Spencer shrugged.

“I felt the chance of it being real would be too easy; guess I was wrong.”

“Your genius status has been revoked.”

Waving at Emily, Garcia clicked the button for the basement for her before heading for her office. Morgan and Reid weren’t far behind her, Reid calling out that he didn’t believe he could lose his genius status.

Finally getting Aaron into the carpark, Emily pushed him against the car and checked his pockets for his keys. Usually some kind of crude comment would have been made by either of them, but today Aaron was pretty sure he’d vomit for the umpteenth time if he opened his mouth. Finding them she helped him into the passenger seat and buckled his seatbelt when he made no move to. Cupping his cheek, she sighed as she kissed his forehead.

“Talk to me.”

“Nauseous.”

The word had barely left his lips before he doubled over, arms wrapped tightly around his middle. Emily grabbed the bucket she’d carried down and handed it to him, glancing around when she began to rub his back.

Aaron always made the most pitiful noises when he was going to be sick; a combination of a whimper, a sob and a deep groan. The closer he got to actually throwing up the more high pitched it could become. Emily rubbed her knuckles down his spine, alternating pressure. Aaron pitched forward and buried his head in the bucket just in time for the burning stomach bile to rise from his throat. He spat for a couple of seconds and Emily reached into the glovebox for a napkin to help him clean up when he was done. Another groan and he threw himself further into the bucket. The woman pitied him and grabbed his forehead from behind, holding him at a spot where she knew he wouldn’t hurt his back or his neck. He resisted, for some reason desperate to get deeper into the sick he’d just produced, but she held tight. When he thought he was done she helped him to straighten, then mopped up his face. When he could look at her, she just sighed.

“I swear I haven’t seen you eat anything in at least 12 hours yet you’ve still got more to come up. It’s impressive, really. Gross, disgusting, but a little impressive.”

The vomiting fit over, Aaron closed his eyes and turned away from the bucket that made Emily’s own stomach turn a little sour. She couldn’t imagine how Aaron was feeling. Spotting a public restroom built into a corner of the carpark she rushed over and emptied the bucket, rinsing it out with some of the cheap FBI issue hand soap she found. Making her way back to the car she found Aaron had fallen asleep. Smiling to herself, Emily tossed everything into his backseat and pushed his door shut, climbing into the driver’s side. Resting a hand on his thigh, she turned the car on and headed for Aaron’s apartment.

He dozed the entire twenty minute drive. When Emily finally pulled up in his parking space he was out cold, and she felt cruel for waking him. Leaning over, she cupped his cheek with one hand while the other brushed through his short hair.

“Aaron. Aaron, we’re here. Come inside, we’re gonna get you to bed okay?”

He began to stir, a grimace on his face as he came around. Reaching for the hand on his cheek, he covered it with his own and Emily kissed his knuckles to keep his attention.

“C’mon. It’s not far, I promise. We’ll be quick.”

Aaron groaned, arching his back away from his cramping stomach. The younger woman held on to his shoulder while he stretched. When he was sorted she got out of the car and went to his side, grabbing their go bags before opening Aaron’s door.

“Here. Hold on to me.”

Wrapping his arms around her neck she managed to pull him out, leaning him against the car while she got sorted. She could feel his breath against her shoulder and she reached behind herself to hold him closer.

“Let’s go.”

Hauling Aaron into the bedroom, Emily immediately got to work. Unbuttoning his slacks and pulling them down his legs, Aaron only looked up when she made a move for his shirt.

“Em, Emily no…”

“-relax. We’ve seen each other naked more than I care to count. It’s been great, that’s all I recall.”

Aaron fell silent as he let Emily pull his undershirt off. She disappeared into the bathroom and he heard the shower start, which made him sigh with relief. When she returned she was holding two soft, fluffy towels, and she extended a hand out to him.

“The shower will help with your fever. Might make your nausea worse though, only for a moment. I’ll be right there with you.”

Aaron groaned but let Emily get him up, grasping on to his hips to keep him steady. His head dipped to rest on top of hers, and she let him grasp on to her side for balance when he stumbled. Reaching the bathroom, Emily set him down on the toilet and stripped herself off to her undergarments. Aaron looked at her dazedly and she snorted.

“I really don’t trust you to shower by yourself when you’re like this.”

She knelt and stripped him of his underwear, discarding hers with her bra into the dirty laundry hamper in the corner of the room. Tying her hair into a messy bun, Emily tossed Aaron’s socks into the hamper as well before helping him to stand. The shower had a bathtub attached and Emily hadn’t been so glad for it as she was at that moment when Aaron stumbled. Making a new plan, she held him by the hips and pushed until he was sitting in the bath. Putting in the plug, she let the overhead shower keep going as it rained down on her shoulders. Reaching for the soap she kept there, she began to wash herself down. To her surprise Aaron grabbed on to one of her legs, his focus on the water.

“Hey. You doing okay?” She asked, brushing a hand through his hair. He glanced up, slowly nodding.

“The water’s cold,” he complained. Emily snorted, stepping aside so he could get wet.

“It’s your fever.”

With Aaron soaked from head to toe and her clean, Emily turned off the water and climbed out, wrapping her towel around herself. She sat on the floor beside the bath, brushing a hand through Aaron’s hair.

She internally made a promise to never let him get this sick again- he had probably been off for a couple days and no one had noticed it.

“Em?”

“Hm?”

Snapping out of her thoughts, Emily was surprised when Aaron stood without help to get out of the bath.

“Think I’m gonna be sick again.”

Upon closer inspection, he did indeed seem to be a little greener at the gills and Emily wrapped his towel around his hips, tucking it in as she’d seen him do more than once. Aaron sat on the tiled floor, glancing pitifully at the toilet. His upper torso tensed before he made himself breathe out slowly. Emily cupped his forehead to feel for his fever and sighed.

“It helped. A little bit, but I’m pretty sure it’s still high. You stay here; I’ll get you some fresh clothes.”

She stood but Aaron stopped her leaving when he scrambled on to his knees and leapt for the toilet bowl; just in time as he sicked up leftover bile. The uncontrollable gagging made Emily’s own nose scrunch and she rubbed his back from a distance while keeping his head up for him. Aaron pitched forward and she caught him by the torso just in time to stop him hitting his chin on the toilet seat. They stayed in front of the toilet for a couple of minutes that felt like hours to Emily; Aaron was now dry heaving to the point that he had probably gagged his throat raw. Pulling him back from the toilet in hopes it would stop him, Emily grabbed a washcloth and dampened it, brushing it over Aaron’s hands and face.

“Better?” She asked, frowning when he shook his head. Pushing his fringe from his eyes, Emily glanced toward the bath.

“Maybe you should hop back in for a couple minutes.”

“No. Not gonna happen.”

Ah, stubborn Hotch. Emily had missed him in the hours he’d been gone. Struggling to regain control over the situation, he looked to her. Their eyes met and Emily made her mind up.

“C’mon.”

Leaving Aaron on his bed, Emily tore open his wardrobe and searched for something that wouldn’t let him overheat. Finding a black shirt, a pair of running shorts and his boxers, she tossed them on to the bed beside him before hunting around for her own clothes she knew she’d left there a couple of times. She couldn’t be bothered going back to the living room to grab their go bags and made a noise of triumph when she found a bra/underwear set along with a pair of her sweats and a tank top. Sorting through Aaron’s jumpers she found one of his college sweaters and added it to her pile. Dressing quickly, she pulled the hoodie over her torso as she went back to Aaron. Aaron, who had managed to pull his boxers on but then passed out. Snoring softly, he looked peaceful for the first time since the team had found him sick and Emily realised this time, she couldn’t wake him. Shuffling the sheet around him, she pulled it over his bare chest before climbing over him to lie on the other side of the bed. Aaron sleepily rolled toward her, flopping on to his stomach. His head rested on her chest and his arm laid across her middle, hanging off the end of the bed. Emily smiled, reaching for her phone. She took a photo but decided not to text it to the team group chat.

No one else deserved to see that side of Aaron Hotchner.

Not JJ, not Garcia, not Reid, not Morgan, not even Rossi.

This side of Hotch was just for her.

The night was rough. If Aaron wasn’t vomiting, he was sweating enough Emily had had to change the sheets multiple times. His dreams were haunting and hyper-realistic; when he pulled himself from the nightmare, he would spend a couple of seconds reassuring himself she was still there, Jack was safe, he was safe from the rest of the world. Emily stayed up with him, holding his head up for him or offering sips of water. When the nightmares got bad, she stroked his hair and reminded him he was safe; he was loved. For two very touch-averse people, they found themselves clinging to each other. Emily brought a bucket back to bed with her after Aaron’s latest vomiting spell, placing it on his bedside table. His forehead made contact with her collarbone and he was out like a light, snoring into her ear. She grimaced; sure, they’d slept together, been through some pretty hairy scenarios, but snoring into someone’s ear would never, ever be cute. Not even when it was Aaron.

Morning came around and Emily dragged herself out of Aaron’s bed to find something to eat. Despite not being particularly hungry (she had witnessed a lot of vomiting, stop judging her) she put a couple pieces of bread into the toaster and switched the coffee maker on. Making a pot, she waited for it to beep before pouring herself a cup. The toast popped up and she buttered one piece, leaving the other plain to try and coax into Aaron when he woke up. Sipping her coffee, she checked her emails on her phone and made a point of tidying up the kitchen. Aaron hadn’t been feeling well for a while by the look of his apartment; toys everywhere, dishes starting to pile on the sink despite the dishwasher being empty, papers strewn all over the dining table as well as a bowl of cereal Jack hadn’t finished. Grimacing, Emily set to work. She tidied all the toys away, loaded the dishwasher and wiped down the bench, before she looked to the papers on the table.

Surely if they were confidential he would have hidden them.

Right?

The first one was confirmation of an insurance payout to Aaron. She put it to one side, deciding to separate work papers from personal papers. Most of them were Jack’s school, but one she picked up made her stop. It was an opened letter, addressed to Aaron, handwritten. The return address made her smile so hard she thought her cheeks were going to break.

_Aaron,_

_It was lovely meeting you, thank you for opening up about your past experiences. I understand we still have a lot to work through and it’s going to take time. It may be something we do over years. Right now, I want you to make a goal for where you want to be in a month. How do you want your headspace to change? What are you going to do to achieve this?_

_You’ve proven you’re a driven man, Aaron. You have nothing stopping you from getting a little more sleep at night._

_Kind regards,_

_-Karen Wyndham._

_FBI psychologist._

“Prentiss?”

Pulled from her trance, Emily dropped the letter and headed for the bedroom.

“Coming!”

Aaron was sitting up against the headboard, a little more colour to his cheeks. To Emily’s surprise he had his shirt on along with a pair of shorts, and he seemed a little more alert.

“Hey. How are you feeling?”

“Better.”

“You look a little better.”

Taking a tentative seat on the edge of the bed, it pained her when Aaron tensed. Reaching out, Emily grabbed his hand. He tried to pull away, but she held on, making him look her in the eyes.

“Hey. Listen to me. I know making yourself vulnerable is hard; trust me, I know. I get that the last time you opened up to someone you got burned, but I won’t hurt you. I’ve been open with you and you’ve kept that in confidence. I’ll do the same. I’m sorry that others haven’t paid you what you deserve.”

“I thought we were just sex,” Aaron spoke. His voice was hoarse and his throat must have hurt judging by the way he winced. Emily shrugged.

“I think we passed that a long time ago; when we kissed at JJ and Will’s wedding.”

“We hadn’t slept together then.”

“I don’t think it was ever _just sex_ with either of us, Aaron. You don’t do _just_ sex, for starters.”

He blushed, maybe even smiled, and Emily climbed up the bed to sit beside him against the headboard.

“Besides; your bed is more comfortable than mine.”

He paled and Emily raised an eyebrow.

“Again? Really?”

The cold sweat began and she sighed, reaching to grab the bucket she’d emptied in the early hours of the morning. Aaron took it from her, dipping his head to cough up the tiny amount of water Emily had gotten him to drink. Knowing he was running on empty she gently pulled the bucket from him.

“I promise, you’ve puked everything up. Your body is done, it’s your brain just trying to prank you.”

“Pranked,” Aaron replied. After a moment he released the death grip he’d had on the bucket and Emily put it on the floor, lifting his shirt to check she hadn’t missed something. Pressing on his appendix earned her the infamous Hotch glare and she rolled her eyes.

“You’re not going to blow up; congrats.”

She got up, holding her hand out to Aaron.

“Wait a moment.”

She disappeared out the bedroom door, reappearing soon after with the plate of toast and her mug of coffee. Aaron leaned for the coffee, but she held it out of his reach, shaking her head.

“Dairy and caffeine are not a good idea when you’re puking. Trust me. You can have this, though.”

Grabbing the plain piece of toast off the plate she handed it to him and Aaron stared for a moment.

“Plain… toast? Emily, I’m-“

“-if you can keep the toast down, we can _talk_ about coffee.”

Aaron huffed, accepting defeat. Part of him wanted to get up and make his own damn coffee; no way should Emily have to wait on his every beck and call, but the part of him that won the internal debate told him she probably knew what she was talking about. Taking a bite of the toast he glanced to his bedside table.

“Where’s my phone?”

“Here.”

She handed it to him and noticed the first thing he did was not check his emails, which she may have predicted, but text Jessica to tell Jack good morning for him. Jessica replied shortly after and Emily admired how easily they slipped into a texting conversation that wasn’t just about Jack; Aaron wanted to know how her work was going, Jessica asking if he needed anything. It petered off as Aaron finished the piece of toast to Emily’s surprise. He looked to her with a smirk and she rolled her eyes.

“Give it an hour.”

“Shouldn’t you be at work?” Aaron asked. Emily shook her head.

“We’re quarantined until further notice. The team figured out we were sleeping together and determined I could have it too. So far, it’s just you.”

“Hm.”

Putting his phone to the side, Aaron looked to her.

“Coffee?”

“Damn it Aaron, wait. I don’t want a repeat of the last 18 hours.”

She stifled a laugh when she was met with the cutest pout she’d ever seen. She’d never seen him pull that face before, and it made her giggle as she kissed his forehead.

“Just hold on, mr coffee addict. You can wait another 45 minutes.”

Aaron grabbed the tv remote off his bedside table, flicking on the old tv on his dresser. He began to flick through channels before Emily stopped him.

“Have you gotten around to watching Peaky Blinders yet?”

“No, I’ve been busy.”

He flicked to Netflix and found the series, clicking play on the first episode. To Emily’s surprise, he moved to lay his head on her lap, placing her hand in his hair. She went along with it, gently stroking through. Aaron’s eyes closed and he let out a breath, squeezing Emily’s free hand.

“Thanks for staying. You didn’t have to.”

“It was me or Rossi. I thought you might be more comfortable with me stripping you down every couple hours for a cool shower.”

“You have a point there.”

Emily snorted, but her movements kept up in Aaron’s hair. Her free hand cupped his forehead.

“I think the fever’s starting to drop. Try and get some more sleep.”

When he was _finally_ asleep for what seemed like a good snooze worth, Emily got up and snuck into the bathroom. She emptied the tub since she’d forgotten to do it the day before, washed the bucket and took care of business before starting the shower. Hot water gushed from the showerhead and Emily took two seconds to strip before she was practically diving under the spray. Pulling the shower curtain closed she reached for Aaron’s shampoo, lathering up her hair. She spent a couple of minutes cleaning herself (read: ridding the puke smell off her) before she heard an impatient knock at the bathroom door.

“Emily can I come in?”

“What?”

Poking her head out of the shower curtain she leaned out just enough to grab the door handle, pulling it open. Aaron stumbled in and before she could really say anything, he was on his knees gagging. Not in front of the toilet. Not even close to the bathtub.

Nope, on the tiled floor. Apparently he’d been knocking a while.

“Shit!”

Emily flicked the shower off and leapt out, grabbing a towel to wrap herself in. Slipping her hands under Aaron’s arms, she dragged him over to the toilet and pulled the seat up, considering he’d puked on that last time. Hands grasping at the bowl he made the god awful noise before his stomach tensed. Emily moved to rub his back, but he held a hand out to stop her from getting too close.

“Please just go.”

“Aaron-“

“-I’m fine. Just need space.”

“And some pepto. I’m just gonna get dressed, okay? Yell if you need something.”

Despite it being probably unintentional, Aaron appreciated that she said _something_ instead of _me_. It made all this just a little bit easier when he knew she respected his boundaries. As she slipped out the bathroom door, clothing in hand, Aaron rocked on his haunches. Leaning against the cool porcelain helped to soothe his fever a little but did nothing to help with the nausea. The room was spinning. Aaron closed his eyes in attempt to make it stop. When nothing helped he leaned over the toilet and let himself empty the toast he’d just managed to digest. Curling himself over the bowl he panted, reaching forward frantically to keep his balance. He sicked up the rest of the toast and bile, along with the few sips of water he’d had. Finally, his stomach relented, and he collapsed between the end of the bath and the toilet. Reaching up he found some toilet paper and managed to wipe his mouth, tossing the wadded mess into the bowl. There was a gentle knock on the door and Emily poked her head in. She had a sympathetic smile on her face as she carefully made her way over. She took a moment to flush his stomach contents away then cupped his face.

“I know you don’t want people to see you like this. But I’m here now and it’s my job to make sure you’re okay. God, who am I gonna ride next? Reid? Dude has a _dick like his pencil_.”

Emily extended her arms out, getting an armful of her lover, and pressed a kiss to his hair, sighing against him.

“You’re safe. You’re okay.”

The man in her arms sniffled, burying his head into the crook of her neck. If she focused for a moment, she could feel him shaking.

Back to bed it was.

Aaron found his head was a little clearer when he woke. His stomach wasn’t settled, but it was manageable for now. His legs ached- his entire body, actually- but when he turned to the other side of the bed he forgot about all of that. Emily Prentiss was still beside him, sleeping soundly. She had stayed up until he had fallen asleep on his side of the bed, and then curled up beside him. Looking at her now, Aaron scooted closer and pressed a kiss to her knuckles as she had to him so many times over the last 36 hours. She began to stir and he hushed her, scooting back.

“Go back to sleep. I’m okay.”

“Mm.”

Emily rolled over, facing away from him, and Aaron couldn’t help himself as he covered her body with his in a snuggle. Emily groaned, pushing him away.

“You stink and you’re still burning up. Go away.”

“How come you know what Reid looks like?”

“I see his face every damn day, Aaron-“

“-no, his… lower region.”

Emily sighed and rolled over to face him, booping his nose. Had it been any other time she would have been in trouble for that.

“If it’s any consolation, yours is better.”

Slipping out of bed she reached for the hoodie she now claimed as her own and Aaron watched her as she wandered to the bedroom door.

“Em. C’mon, you can tell me.”

She glanced at him over her shoulder, a cheeky grin on his face.

“Don’t want you to get sick again.”

Then she was gone, the door softly closing behind her. Aaron groaned and buried himself back into his blankets.

He would find out, one way or another.

The rest of the day was filled with Aaron sleeping, Emily trying to get him to eat something, him eat something, and then being violently sick just when he thought they were in the clear. The clock struck 8pm and Emily glanced up from where she’d been snuggling Aaron’s chest to see he had fallen asleep on the couch. She took the water bottle from him and set it on the ground before going to sleep too.

You know the saying; when they sleep, you sleep.

Pretty sure the saying was talking about babies.

Two strong arms wrapped around Emily’s waist from behind while she cooked breakfast the following morning and she smiled, reaching behind herself to hold him closer. Glancing up she met his lips with hers, okaying the kiss when she could smell the toothpaste on his breath. He smelled better too- freshly showered, with deodorant and cologne and something that didn’t smell like barf. Aaron held her hips, taking the spatula from her.

“How about you let me do the cooking, huh?”

Emily was about to protest when she realised in the seconds she’d allowed herself to melt into the kiss she’d also burned the eggs on the stove. Aaron seemed amused as he began to make a new batch, and Emily pushed him against the counter.

“You look better.”

“I feel better.”

“When was the last time you hurled?”

“Pretty sure it was the last time I woke you up.”

“That was 2am, Aaron. You sure you’re okay to have something like eggs?”

“They’re _eggs_ , Emily. Not a coffee with creamer.”

“Speaking of which, I think the pot’s ready.”

Moving herself from where she’d settled between Aaron’s legs, she grabbed her mug from the day before and filled it with the bitter liquid. Aaron reached for it but she held it out, gesturing to the eggs.

“Don’t overwhisk them; we want them fluffy still.”

Sitting at the tiny island in his kitchen, Emily watched as Aaron whipped up a breakfast for them; a proper one for her, while he stuck with eggs and dry toast. They began to chow down when Aaron looked up from his toast, putting it on the plate. Emily panicked, thinking he was going to be sick again, but he grabbed her arm.

“I need to say thank you, Emily. You didn’t have to do this, but I really appreciate it.”

“I’m telling you; I only helped you because I would prefer to sleep with you over anyone else on the team.”

Emily brushed him off, as usual, but Aaron kept his hand on her arm.

“Just listen for a sec, then you can laugh about it or suck me off or whatever else is going on in your mind.”

She raised an eyebrow but let Aaron place one hand on her thigh, the other cupping her cheek.

“I don’t just mean the last couple of days when I say I really appreciate what you do for me. In the field and off, you’re there when I can’t seem to get a grip on reality. I owe my sanity to you a majority of the time. The team is great and I love what we do, how we stop the bad guys, but sometimes it can be too much and sometimes you just need someone at your side who _gets it_ because they’re there with you. Lucky for me, you also happen to be a great friend and a brilliant shot in the field. Emily, would you… do you think you’d let me reintroduce you to Jack as my girlfriend?”

She paused; he took it as hesitation and got up, about to make some awkward exit, but she stopped him.

“I think he knows already. The team knew and we’re both closed off to them. Jack is a smart kid; I wouldn’t be surprised if he’d known all along.”

Aaron facepalmed then, throwing himself into his seat.

“You know what; I think you may have a point. He’s always asking when you’re coming over next.”

He paled then.

“Oh god, we’re not quiet are we?”

“I don’t think you _know_ how to be quiet.”

Only Emily Prentiss could get away with banter like that, followed by a kiss Aaron would never forget.

**Author's Note:**

> I should probably mention this is my first time writing a *completed* fanfic of CM. Hopefully it wasn't too OOC. I would love it if you had some suggestions for me! I'm open to anything, as long as you back it up.  
> Thanks for reading!


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